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Atlanta Botanical Garden | Alston Lecture: Why Isn’t Nature Equally Available to Everyone?

The history of redlining by the Federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation in the 1930s continues to impact neighborhoods inhabited primarily by people of color. Such neighborhoods typically have fewer street trees planted, are further from parks and other green spaces, and have parks with poorly maintained equipment.

Young people of color who have grown up with relatively little access to parks and greenspaces face challenges incorporating time in nature into their lives. Based on the research of Dr. Donald A. Rakow and colleagues, these challenges fall into three categories: external, psychological, and socioeconomic. These challenges are not insurmountable; join us for a presentation on strategies to bring equitable access to nature for everyone.

About the Speaker: Dr. Donald A. Rakow is an associate professor of Horticulture at the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University and the co-director of the Cornell Graduate Program in Public Garden Leadership. Dr. Rakow co-authored the first-ever text in public horticulture, “Public Garden Management,” and a book on social outreach for public gardens, “Public Gardens and Livable Cities.”

Dr. Rakow became interested in public gardens while serving as a Cornell Cooperative Extension agent in Broome County, NY. He worked with newly organized Master Gardeners to plan and plant the Cutler Botanic Gardens adjacent to the Extension Center. From 1996 to 2013, Dr. Rakow served as the Elizabeth Newman Wilds Executive Director of Cornell Plantations (now Cornell Botanic Gardens), the 4,300-acre public garden of Cornell University. For the past 20 years, he has taught courses on public garden management, focusing on all aspects of design, establishment, and management of botanical gardens, arboreta, and conservatories.

Dr. Rakow is a strong promoter of nature’s benefits for overall health and well-being and serves as the coordinator for the Nature Rx @‌Cornell program, which aims to “prescribe nature” to students. Dr. Rakow co-authored the text “Nature Rx: Improving College-Student Mental Health Cites” and co-directs the nationwide Campus Nature Rx Network to bring the benefits of nature to students across the United States. Dr. Rakow continues to be active in the American Public Gardens Association, for which he has chaired numerous committees and was awarded its Service Award (2009) and Award of Merit (2015) for his contributions.

Additional Information:

• Getting There: This event will be held at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, located at 1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. Paid parking is available in the parking deck at the Garden. MARTA Bus #27 stops at the Piedmont Avenue entrance. Bus #27 may be boarded at the Arts Center or Lenox train stations.
• More Information: Visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s website for additional information
• Questions: If you have any questions or comments regarding this event, please email education@treesatlanta.org.

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